Donors Pledge to Protect Heritage Sites

March 25, 2017

In Donors’ Conference on Safeguarding Endangered Cultural Heritage, world donors pledged more than $75 million to protect cultural heritage sites threatened by war destruction carried out by ISIS militants.

Switzerland pledged further money in administrative and legal support and will host the fund in Geneva. Italy said it would provide military personnel and conservation experts.

The Donor’s Conference aimed to build an international fund to prevent or stop the destruction of historical sites. Organizers also want to create a network of sites around the world to temporarily store endangered artifacts and to pay for the restoration of sites damaged by war.

ISIS militants have stolen or destroyed a host of cultural artifacts, including the ancient Syrian town of Palmyra, the Mosul museum in Iraq and the 13th century B.C. Assyrian capital of Nimrud, which is also in Iraq.